1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic casino games or networked games and more specifically it relates to a multi-opportunity, risk vs. reward, playfield-style gaming platform for creating a new style of video-based casino game that delivers a more thrilling and entertaining gaming experience to players by granting them the ability to evaluate their situation and decide whether to risk current assets for greater rewards throughout the course of the game, and as a result of this new gaming concept, generate significantly greater returns to casinos.
2. Background of the Art
Electronic casino games have been in use for years. Typically, electronic casino games are mechanical and/or video-based forms of casino gaming devices such as slot machines, video poker, and multi-line video slot machines employing a Random Number Generator (RNG) for the purpose of determining random events that determine winning versus losing outcomes.
A problem with conventional electronic casino games is that knowledgeable players understand that the RNG will immediately determine the outcome of the game, and that outcome is completely determined by the processor executing the RNG algorithm. Although video poker allows for some variance in outcome since it is based on a “virtually shuffled” deck of 52 cards, there are a limited number of winning outcomes that can be attained after the first five cards have been electronically “dealt” to the player with only a maximum of five additional cards to be used as replacements. Another problem with conventional electronic casino games is the majority of video-based casino gaming devices are merely variations of two standard software gaming platforms—video poker and multi-line video slots. While there are a large variety of styles of each gaming platform, the game play is always basically the same, and both platforms have become stale over time, requiring game manufacturers to pay costly royalties to obtain licensed celebrity, movie and game show themes in order to maintain player interest.
Another problem with conventional electronic casino games is that current video-based casino gaming technology offers players very few choices and opportunities to influence and control the outcome of their game play, or even to give an appearance to actual player input. Mechanical and multi-line video slots typically only allow the player to select the number of pay lines and credits per line to bet. After these selections are made, the player has either won or lost. Video poker typically offers the player only a single opportunity to influence game outcome by discarding up to five cards from their hand.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular play events, they are not as suitable for creating a new style of video-based casino game that delivers a more thrilling and entertaining gaming experience to players by granting them the ability to evaluate their situation and decide whether to risk current assets for greater rewards throughout the course of the game, and as a result of this new gaming concept, generate significantly greater returns to casinos. Mechanical and multi-line video slots typically only allow the player to select the number of pay lines and credits per line to bet. After these selections are made, the player has either won or lost. Video poker typically offers the player only a single opportunity to influence game outcome by discarding up to five cards from their hand.
Certain games, especially in bonus rounds, have provided what are referred to in the art as “pick-and-reveal” games in which a limited number (X) of hidden symbols are provided and a number of selections or picks (fewer than X) are provided. The player exhausts the fewer than X picks to reveal some, but not all, hidden symbols.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,102,798 and 6,572,471 (Bennett) describes a slot machine including a prize display, a coin entry slot, a payout tray and internally mounted game control processor circuits. The game display means comprises a video display screen controlled to display a game image divided into a matrix of elements or player selectable zones. The video screen is preferably of the touch sensitive variety, having an array of touch sensitive areas located on its display surface with one such area associated with each matrix element. The player may select one of the matrix elements by touching the screen within the area of the respective element to be selected, thereby causing the image in the element to change to reveal whether or not a prize value is associated with that zone.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,177 (Bennett) describes a slot machine that includes a prize display, a coin entry slot, and payout tray and internally mounted game control processor circuits. The game display means comprises a video display screen controlled to display a game image divided into a matrix of elements or player selectable zones. The video screen has an array of touch sensitive areas located on its display surface with one such area associated with each matrix element. The control processor causes an image to be displayed on the display means, such as a sportsman playing his sport and randomly selects one or more of the matrix elements to have a prize associated with it. The player selects one of the matrix elements to have a prize by touching the screen within the area of the respective element to be selected, thereby causing the image in the element to change to reveal the associated prize value. Additional player controls are implemented by displaying images corresponding to controls on the screen such that when the control images are touched, the associated function is caused to be performed. In the event that the player wins the game, by selecting a zone having associated prize value, the machine will pay him a prize equivalent to the prize value in the zone selected by the player multiplied by the number of units bet.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,160,188; 6,602,137; and 6,899,620 (Kaminkow et al.) describes a gaming device having a multiple selection and award distribution bonus scheme. A selection is chosen from a group of selections. The game determines awards for distribution to the selection. Once determined, the awards are distributed to the selection and a player is provided with the awards. The game preferably utilizes a number of award pools in order to determine the award distribution. This award pool determination is based on, for example, a number of probability tables associated with the award pools.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,004,834 (Walker et al.) describes systems and methods facilitating play of a game with user-selected elements. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a set of all possible elements of a game is determined. Each of the elements of the set is associated with at least one of a plurality of locations. A representation of the plurality of locations is displayed to a player, defining a set of selectable locations. At least one selection signal is received, with each selection signal indicating a selectable location from the set of selectable locations, indicating at least one selected element. An outcome is determined based on at least one selected element.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,958,013 (Mireau et al.) describes a gaming device and method which includes a plurality of reels having multiple symbols on the reels. The symbols include at least one activator symbol. In one embodiment, if the player obtains an activator symbol on the reels, the activator symbol activates the symbols that are adjacent to the activator symbol. Activating the adjacent symbols reveals the awards associated with the adjacent symbols. The player receives an award that equals the activator symbol award plus the awards associated with each symbol that is adjacent to the activator symbol.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,780,107 (Baerlocher et al.) describes a gaming device and method having a pick reduction game. Initially, a plurality of first selections is displayed to the player. Also, a number of picks is displayed to the player where the number of picks is greater than the number of first selections. The player uses the number of picks to pick first selections until the player picks a trigger selection. The number of picks is reduced after each pick by the player. When the player picks the trigger selection, the gaming device displays a plurality of second selections to the player. Each of the second selections is associated with an award. The player picks second selections and receives awards for each picked second selection until there are no picks remaining.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,632,140 describes a system and method for facilitating participation by a player in a bonus event of a slot machine. A display grid associated with the slot machine is presented, where the display grid includes a plurality of active display segments. Symbols are presented in each of the active display segments, such as by randomly selecting symbols and displaying a randomly selected symbol in each of the active display segments. At least some of the symbols are discontinue symbols which, if presented in a display segment, causes that display segment to be deactivated, thereby eliminating that display segment from the bonus event. The presentation of symbols and subsequent deactivation of symbols associated with discontinue symbols continues until all of the active display segments have been deactivated.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,982 (Kaminkow et al.) describes a gaming device that provides a player with an opportunity to maximize a gaming device award. The gaming device presents the player with a display having a plurality of symbols and enables the player to choose one or more of the symbols. The game reveals the award(s) associated with the selected symbols but does not reveal which awards are associated with which symbols. The game then provides the player with one or more opportunities to upgrade the total award by deselecting one or more of the selected symbols and re-selecting another symbol for each deselected symbol.